Page 4 of Vicarious

She signs out. I pretend to log in as she collects her things. When I’m sure she’s gone, I discard the scrubs and log onto the computer to find a video on the internet on how to swaddle two children to my chest. I end up having to tie a bunch of blankets together for the task, but soon enough, I’ve cut the tags off the twin’s ankles and tied them to my chest.

I stuff as many diapers and formula and baby wipes and onesies as I can into the bag I stole. Then, I calmly walk out the nursery and head toward the hospital exit.

Having made note of where all the cameras were, I make sure to duck my head and walk in all their blind spots. No one stops me as I leave the hospital with not even hours old newborns to my chest. No one even pays me a second glance or suspects that I’m technically kidnapping these children right under their nose. Not even when I walk past the security desk and out the exit. On the way, I pass my parked car.

I’m lucky it’s still there. I was sure it would have been towed by now. It’s still going to be towed. But I don’t care about that. It’s the duffle bag with a bunch of cash, fake IDs, fake passports, and other stuff Phae deemed important.

She’s been planning this for a long time. She’s been planning to run for a long time.

She’s been planning to run with Adrian, the children, and me, based on the fake Canadian passports with my face on them.

Task at hand.

I grab the duffle bag, close the trunk and walk away from the hospital to find the nearest bus station that will sell me tickets into Canada.

Against my chest, I feel one of the babies stir and whine.

I lower my head and instinctively kiss both on the forehead, hoping that will calm them for now until we’re settled.

“It’s just the three of us now,” I say.

2

Dele

Present day

“Phae,” I hear Viper mutter next to me.

For a while that can’t be quantified because it feels like eternity, no one says anything. We stare at Phae. Phae stares at us.

Fuck, it’s like she’s back from the dead and she hasn’t changed a bit. Mostly. She’s a little thin. But she’s always been small and super petite, standing at just five two or so. I don’t even consider myself that tall. Not compared to Viper, anyway. But still, by the time I finally hit a growth spurt at fifteen and shot up six inches to five eight, even I ended up dwarfing her.

But other than looking like she could stand to gain ten pounds, she hasn’t changed. Same brown curls that Lady inherited from her. Same kind brown eyes. Same pink lips. Same… Same everything.

And then, after an eternity, Phae launches out the bed. The next thing I know, I’m stumbling back into the wall with the force of her embrace as she wraps her arms around me and cries, “Dele!”

“Phae,” I say after getting my bearings straight. “Phae. You’re… I thought you were… I thought you were dead.”

“I thought you were dead,” Phae says pulling away from her to look at her. “They told me you were dead and… and… Dele. Dele where are… what happened to…”

Phae trails off and then suddenly turns to look at a still stunned Viper. The relieved expression turns into something cautious, “Why are you here?”

“I didn’t… I didn’t know…” Viper trails off and then doesn’t say anything at all.

“You tried to kill me,” Phae accuses.

“I didn’t.”

“That’s generally what you call strangling your pregnant wife.”

Not even Viper can find a way to twist Phae’s blunt accusation.

Phae continues, “You joined the fucking mafia. You killed entire families. You tried to kill Dele. Did you really think I was going to be okay with that?”

Viper’s stunned expression turns into a glare as he narrows his eyes, his jaw sets, and his lips form a frown.

“You don’t know everything.”

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